Vacation: All I Ever Wanted
by Medie Shanachie
Summary: All Colby wanted was some peace and quiet, some time away from the office and a little bit of time with his sister. It sucks when life doesn't go according the plan.
1. Chapter 1

**Warnings: **Colby whumping (later on), gratuitous abuse of sisterly power, mention of rape and murder  
**Spoilers:** Nothing majorly but brief mentions of 2.09 Toxin, 3.24 Janus List, 4.1Trust Metric, 4.9 Graphic, 4.18 When Worlds Collide; also my story "Family Ties" (but that's mostly cuz Jo is in that one too)  
Summary: All Colby wanted was some peace and quiet, some time away from the office and a little bit of time with his sister. It sucks when life doesn't go according the plan.  
Disclaimer: Nothing recognizable Numb3rs is mine and that includes Colby (pouts), David, and Don. Los Pardes National Park does exist, but I have never been there, it just seemed like a cool place and worked for my story. Jo is mine, but I only claim about half of her actions...she can be evil.

**Author's Note:** Honestly not going to repeat spoilers or anything after this because well, I'm posting everything at once. This was written for mustangcandi's July challenge over on SaveColby on livejournal and I've gotta give some thanks to the girls over there. Specifically Candi for the challenge and the song mentioned later on, Mia Dcwut for helping me with a couple of points, and also to my friend, Ash for naming the one ranger. I think that's it... and I think I covered all the warnings and all. Enjoy!

* * *

"No," Colby said without turning around to see what exactly it was that David wanted.

"You haven't even heard the question yet," David replied.

"And whatever the question is, the answer is no. Actually it isn't even no, it's _hell no_." Colby glanced at his watch. "Because as of thirty minutes ago, I am on _vacation_. No call backs, no returns. I am on one hundred percent va_-ca-_tion!"

"Well, if that's the case, why are you still here?" David asked, perching on the edge of his desk. He knew his partner was on vacation, actually they were all off until Megan's replacement was chosen (and Don seemed to be dragging his feet as much as possible about that), but he couldn't figure out why Colby was still in the office. "And apparently still working?"

Colby flipped the monitor around to show what he was actually doing. "I'm waiting for Jo. Her plane got delayed a little. I saw no reason to go all the way home when the office is closer to the airport. And I'm trying to beat this damn Minesweeper."

David shook his head, laughing silently. "Ya take the boy outta the Army." He motioned towards the pack that was leaning against Colby's desk. "But the question actually was 'what the hell are you wearing and what is _that_?'"

Colby looked down at himself, trying to figure out what David's issue was. He was wearing heavy duty hiking boots, jeans, and a t-shirt with a heavy shirt over top. The _that_ David was referring to was his camping pack. "Jo and I are going backpacking. Nothing we can't carry in or out." He grinned. "It should be fun."

David shook his head. "If that's your idea of fun, I'd hate to see..."

"You'd hate to see what, Sinclair?" a female voice asked from behind them.

David turned to see a blonder, slighter female version of Colby standing by the desk. She was dressed exactly like him, although her t-shirt was a bright red to his light blue, and her pack looked like it was a little smaller. David had been amazed the last time he saw her at how much Colby's sister resembled him, but now with the two standing next to each other, it was even clearer. The girl dropped her pack as Colby stood up and leaped into his arms, laughing out loud. Colby spun her around once, obviously forgetting decorum in his happiness to see his sister, before setting her down on her feet again. "How was your flight?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Stupid fuel pump. Next time you decide to have me come visit, I'm flying commercial. And _not_ hitching a ride with Ray-Ray."

David snorted, trying to hold in a laugh. When both Granger siblings turned glares on him, he said, "I'm sorry...but Ray-Ray? You actually _know_ someone named Ray-Ray?"

"Yes," Colby answered, turning to pick up his pack, "as in United States Congressman Raymond Felders. We all grew up together. Jo_anna_ just can't let go of teasing him."

Jo grinned. "It's not like you don't get your own digs in, _Colburn_." She turned towards David. "Speaking of..."

Colby didn't even turn around. "Don't do it, Jo. That's assaulting a federal officer. And I am _not_ doing the paperwork today." He reached into his desk and pulled out his service weapon, tucking it into the back of his jeans. "Come on, Jo. Leave it."

Jo glared at David, obviously not ready to let it go. "I owe him at least one shot, Burn."

Colby draped his arm around his sister, pulling her close to him. "We worked things out, Jo. David was going on the information he had then." He kissed the side of his sister's head, smiling at the face she made. "Everything's good as gold." Colby dropped his arm. "I just need to give Don some paperwork and then we can take off, okay?"

She nodded. After Colby had walked away, she turned her attention to David again. The look she gave him was friendlier, but he could still see a coldness beneath it. "Burn may have forgiven you, but you hurt him badly," she said quietly. "If you _ever_ hurt my brother like that again, I don't care if you _are_ a federal agent, I _will_ deck you."

David nodded, then stuck his hand out for her to shake. "Fair enough."

Jo considered him for a minute, then shook it. "I'm sure you guys did the manly guy 'I'm sorry' thing without saying the words."

"Actually," Colby said from behind them, "he got my wooly bugger back from federal lock up."

David looked at him in surprise. "You knew that was me? Why didn't you ever say anything?"

Colby shrugged. "Nothing needed to be said. You ready, Jo-Jo?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Just one question, Burn?"

Colby looked at her as he settled his pack. "What?"

"Why are you taking your gun?" she asked.

Colby looked at her and then glanced down at her pack. "So you're telling me you don't have a gun somewhere in your pack?" he asked.

Jo had the grace to look sheepish. "I didn't say that. I mean I am going camping with _you_. It just pays to be prepared."

Colby shook his head. "I think it's more I'm going camping with _you_. I seem to remember you being the one who fell in the lake."

"Yeah, but you were the one who fell off the cliff," Jo snarked back.

"Trying to pull you outta the tree," Colby responded.

"Hey! Guys!" David interrupted. Both Grangers turned to look at him. "Not that I wouldn't love to find out all the interesting adventures that you had growing up, but didn't you two have plans?" he asked.

Colby grinned and pushed Jo towards the elevator. "We're headed up to Los Padres National Park," he called over his shoulder. "Specifically Lake Piru. No cell service so we aren't taking them. Contact the park rangers if you need us, but we'll be back next week."

The last sight David had of the two Grangers was Colby waving while bickering good-naturedly with his sister. It was an image he would hold in his head during the coming days.


	2. Chapter 2

Colby smiled as they exited his Jeep near the ranger station. The look on Jo's face was worth the hassle it had been to get permission to drive this far. Normally you had to park farther back and hike in, but Colby had traded on his status as a federal agent and gotten permission to park at the station so they could get farther into the woods during his week off. He turned to Jo as she leaned against the front of the Jeep, breathing deeply. "Worth the stress of putting up with Ray?" he asked.

"Almost. Get me down into the woods. Then we'll talk," she replied.

"Granger!" a male voice called, causing both of them to turn towards it. The ranger stopped short when he realized he had gotten a response from both of them. "Oh. Sorry. I wasn't told you were bringing your wife," he said as he walked the final few steps to them. He looked confused when Jo started laughing. "Why is that funny?"

Jo swallowed down the rest of her laughter. "Why does everyone assume I'm your wife?" she asked Colby. "Is _that_ so much more believable than your sister?"

Colby shrugged. "Apparently. Ranger Taylor? I'm Colby Granger. Thanks for letting us leave my Jeep here. My sister and I are headed into the woods to enjoy the camping. We'll be back out in a week."

The ranger shook Colby's hand. "Nice to meet you. My partner said you were a federal agent? Are you out here hunting someone?"

"Nah," Colby answered. "I grew up in Idaho. I didn't want to spend half my vacation traveling. If there's nothing else you need, we'd like to head out. Jo got here a little later than we'd intended so we're a bit behind schedule."

"And Colby's still got some of that anal Army scheduling in him," Jo spoke up. "So god forbid we screw up his perfect schedule."

The ranger smiled. "I understand. My partner's ex-military, too. I just need you guys to sign in and write down an idea of where you're headed. I know you're backpacking, but we still need to get a general idea. Also I need to go over the rules of the park."

Colby nodded and motioned for Jo to proceed him into the ranger station. "Not a problem, Ranger Taylor." He grinned at Jo. "I figured we'd have to do that so I added that time into the schedule."

"Anal retentive G.I. Joe," Jo muttered as she climbed the steps to the station, causing Colby to grin since he knew she was just teasing him. He wasn't as bad as she was making him out to be.

It was less than an hour later that they headed out on the trail. Colby led the way, having looked at the maps and chosen their path for today. Both of them had compasses attached to thier belts and maps in their packs, but they were going to let their feet choose the path. They didn't want to get lost, but they did want to get away from civilization. Between the two of them, they had enough survival skills to live off the land if they wanted to and enough food that they wouldn't starve if they couldn't find food. They planned to circle around and come down to the lake by the second or third day so Colby could do some fishing before heading back out. It sucks when things don't go according to plan.

* * *

David groaned as he realized the ringing he was hearing was not the school bell in his dream, but his cell phone. Fumbling around for it, he finally located it without opening his eyes, and flipped it open, snapping, "Sinclair. This better be damn important."

"David, it's Don."

He sat up quickly and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Sorry, Don. I didn't look at the Caller ID."

"It's okay. I was hoping I wouldn't wake you up. Do you have any idea where Colby went?"

"Ah, some forest thing with his sister. They said something about camping? I think. I can't really remember." David racked his brain, trying to remember what the two had said when they left. "Why?"

"Johnny Rico, one of Colby's collars, broke out of prison early this morning. We need to locate Colby and get him back in the office. I tried his cell, but there was no answer," Don replied.

David was already reaching for clothes. "That's because his cell is sitting on his desk. They're out in the woods somewhere cells don't work. He said something about contacting rangers if we needed him."

"Get to the office. We need to figure it out," Don ordered.

"Already on my way." David shut his phone, shoving it in his pocket as he grabbed his keys.

When David got to the office, Don was standing by Colby's desk, trying to make heads or tails of the maps that the younger agent had been studying for days beforehand. Without looking up from what he was doing, he held a file out to David. "Johnny Rico. Colby put him away just before he joined our team and the guy has been jonesing to get Colby since then. Read up."

Looking the file over, David whistled. "Four counts of murder and seven of rape? How did this guy escape?"

"Stupidity apparently." Don threw the maps down in disgust. "You don't have any idea where they went?"

David sighed. "I'm sorry, Don. I honestly didn't think it would matter so I wasn't listening. There can't be too many choices..." he looked up as his boss held up fifteen or sixteen maps, "can there?"


	3. Chapter 3

Jo sighed as she dropped her pack to the ground. "We stopping for the night?" she asked as Colby set his own pack down.

Colby consulted his compass and then checked the angle of the sun. "Yeah. We made pretty good time. You want to do some scavenging or eat out of the packs tonight?"

Jo stretched, cracking her back, and enjoying not having fifty some pounds of weight on it for a few minutes. "Let's eat out of the packs tonight. I don't feel like walking another step. And I've got some of Dick's venison jerky."

"So that's why you didn't want to fly commercial," Colby said as she began to dig through her pack.

"Hey, I'm not eating radiated meat," Jo replied, finding the package she was looking for and tossing it to her brother. "That's yours," she informed him and pulled out another package. "I brought a second pack for me."

"I can't believe he parted with this much," Colby said as he settled on the ground, leaning back against his pack.

"Ah, well." Even in the fading light, he could make out a blush on her cheeks. "He didn't really have a choice."

"Jo...what did you do?"

"It wasn't what I did...exactly."

"Okay. What did he do that you caught him at?"

"It was more embarrassing than anything," Jo said, turning back to her pack and digging around for something else.

"Joanna Bethany Granger," Colby warned.

"Colburn Matthew Granger," Jo returned, sticking her tongue out at him.

Colby laughed. "Oh, yeah that's mature." He stretched out on the ground, finally feeling free to relax. Breathing deeply, he let some of his stress go as he exhaled. "Don't tell me if you don't want to."

Jo shrugged, tossing a can of peaches at him. Without opening his eyes, Colby reached up and caught them. "That's still as creepy as ever," she informed him. "And it's not that big a deal. He got drunk and went skinny dipping."

"That's nothing new."

"In MacGregor's cow pond," Jo finished.

"And he's still alive?" Colby asked. Dick MacIntosh and Ewan MacGregor's families had been feuding for generations, all the way back to the 'old country' if the stories were to be believed. About once a week one or the other of them got drunk and did something stupid. Colby had to admit that this was a new one though. Normally if Dick went skinny dipping, he did it in the Granger cow pond. "So how did you get involved?"

"Sarah MacGregor called me instead of the sheriff and had me come fish Dick out. Guess she figured Mom would want her ranch hand back without a few extra holes."

"Speaking of Mom," Colby changed the subject. "How is she?"

"She's good. Same old, same old. Bingo on Mondays, potlucks on Wednesdays, church on Sundays. She goes to her quilting meetings and does her church work. Runs the ranch with an iron hand. Not much has changed..." Jo trailed off and Colby knew what she didn't say _not much has changed since Dad died._ It was the one thing they never talked about. No matter how many times they talked, no matter how often they got together; it was the one thing they never spoke of. Colby was sure her memories were fading, she had been barely eight when their dad had died, but she never asked him anything. Some days he wished she would, just so he could talk about the man they had both loved, but he refused to open that subject if she didn't first.

"Hey. So no boyfriend yet?" he asked, knowing it would get a rise out of her.

"It's not like you have a girlfriend," she tossed back.

"Hey, I date," he pointed out.

"One date with one French acrobat, does not a dating pool make," she responded. "So what's the plan for tomorrow?"

Pulling out his flashlight and map, he spread it out on the ground and they fell to discussing their best course of action, not knowing how much things were going to change in a few short hours.

* * *

"So how do we know this Rico guy is going to go after Colby in the woods?" David asked as they tore up the road towards the Los Padres National Park. David had finally remembered the park had something to do with the baseball team and that, combined with the maps, had been enough to give them a place to start.

"Because apparently he's some sort of survivalist." Don dropped his cell onto the seat as he lost service again. "I wish we could have gotten a hold of Edgerton. He would have been a big help."

"Did you have any idea that Colby was into this rough survival camping stuff?" David asked.

"Not a clue," Don replied. "I mean this is what he decided to do for fun? It seems a little too much like work."

"Tell me about it. Ya know the whole time we were up in the woods with Edgerton, he never mentioned he could do this whole hunting/camping thing," David commented as Don pulled into the driveway by the ranger's station. David pointed off to the side where a black Jeep sat, obviously having been there for a couple of days. "Isn't that Colby's Jeep?"

Don glanced over at the Jeep and checked the license plate. "Yeah. It is." He got out of the SUV as a ranger approached them. "Looks like we're in the right place." Flipping open his wallet, he said, "Special Agent Don Eppes. Any idea where my agent went?"

* * *

Colby reached down and gave Jo a hand up, pulling her so she could stand on the ledge next to him. As he bent down to grab her pack, he heard the crack of a rifle. Reacting, rather than thinking, he knocked into Jo's legs, bringing her down to the ground and just preventing both of them from falling off the ledge. "What the hell? Burn!"

"Quiet!" he hissed. Poking his head up, he looked around and found the scar on a near-by tree where the bullet had hit. It was about head height on him. That didn't look like an accident. "Stay down," he instructed her as he slithered down the cliff and tried to figure out what direction the shot had come from.

Jo rolled to her side, careful not to expose more of her body than necessary. "What was that?"

"Are you telling me you don't recognize the sound of a rifle?" Colby asked as he hauled himself back up onto the ledge where Jo was perched.

Jo rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know what a rifle sounds like. What I mean is why is someone hunting here? National park, idiot. No hunting allowed."

"I'm thinking they aren't hunting deer," Colby responded as he began to dig through his pack, sorting out what they would absolutely need to make a run for the Jeep and the ranger station.

"Gran-_ger_!" a male voice yelled. "I know you're there. And don't think I missed you on accident. Pretty little girl you've got with you. I'm going to enjoy her once I've captured the two of you."

Colby slid to the ground as he realized who was yelling at them and cradled his head in his hands. "Shit," he breathed. "Fuck. Fuck. _Fuck_!"

Jo looked at her brother in shock. She knew he swore, but he had always subscribed to the dictates their mother had raised them with and he never swore in front of women. Despite everything, he considered his younger sister a woman. Whoever was out there had really upset her brother. "Burn. Colby, who is that?"

Colby raised his head and looked his sister in the eye, locking green eyes with green eyes. It was odd, the eyes were where they looked the most like their dad. Facially he resembled their dad and she took after their mother more although they were clearly siblings, but their eye color had been their father's. "His name is Johnny Rico. He killed four people after raping them and raped seven others before I brought him down. He was in lock-up the last I knew. I get about a letter a week from him, telling me he's going to come after me once he gets out. Jo, there really wasn't a danger since he was serving consecutive life sentences."

"Obviously someone screwed up," Jo pointed out.

"Ya think?" Colby snarked back, then winced. "Sorry. Look he's a survivalist. He's good in the woods. We need to lighten our loads and make a run for the ranger station."

Jo nodded, slapping his hands away from her pack. "I got it. We can survive on trail mix and jerky for a couple of days so let's take that. Canteens. Water tablets. What else?"

Colby smiled tightly. It wasn't an ideal situation by any means, but Jo wouldn't waste time arguing with him; she would simply do what needed to be done. It didn't mean he wouldn't feel the sharp edge of her tongue at some point though. "Take your gun," he said quietly. "We may need it. And any spare rounds you have." Jo nodded and without a word tucked her .38 Smith and Wesson into her waistband, then shoved the spare rounds into her vest pockets. Within minutes, they have scavenged everything they thought might be useful from their packs and Colby picked a spot to secure them. Situating them under the ledge, he disguised the spot with branches and leaves, then stepped back to look at it. It wouldn't fool anyone really determined to find it, but a casual glance would miss it. "You got your ID?" he asked as he stepped back. Jo nodded again and shifted the smaller pack she had made out of one of her shirts. Colby sported a similar one. They would be easy enough to drop if they had to make a run for it, but would allow them to carry more supplies for now. "Okay." He glanced around. They hadn't heard from Rico in a few minutes, but that didn't mean the man wasn't there. "Head up. I'm right behind you."

Taking a deep breath, Jo headed in the direction Colby indicated. Colby followed her after another look around, hoping he was making the right decision.


	4. Chapter 4

"What the hell do you mean you have no idea where Colby is?" Don demanded as the ranger stepped back from the force of the FBI agent's anger.

The second, older, ranger cleared his throat. "We didn't say 'no idea', just that we didn't know exactly _where_ he is." He motioned to the forest spread out below them. "It's a large forest out there. Your agent left an idea of where he was heading, but that doesn't mean he didn't change his mind once he was in there. And if there's someone after him, he's not going to stick to his plan."

Don looked out at the forest. "So how are we going to find him?"

* * *

"Come camping with me he says. Come get away in nature with me he says. Come backpacking for a few days he says. Does he mention the guy with guns? Does he mention running for your life? Does he mention people shooting at you? Oh, no, of course not, why would he do that? That would take all the fun and surprise out of life," Jo ranted as she followed Colby up the mountain.

"Jo," he said through gritted teeth as he broke the path, trying to leave as small a trail as possible.

"_What_?" she barked.

"Shut _up_!"

Jo grinned, knowing her brother wouldn't be able to see her. "Are you telling me you have an issue with me talking?"

Colby paused and turned slightly so he could look down at his sister. "I'm saying that sound carries in the forest and I'd rather not give Rico a better chance of tracking us."

"Right. Sound carries. Check. Shutting up now." Jo mimed zipping her mouth shut and turned her energy to moving through the woods.

Colby waited until she had caught up with him. "Look, I get that you're scared. I'm doing the best I can to get you out of here."

Jo threw her arms around her brother, hugging him tightly. "I know, Burn. And I'll try to do better. This is just a little outta my comfort zone."

"I know, Jo-Jo." Colby spied movement below them that wasn't an animal. "We need to get moving. Keep low and quiet."

She wiped away tears that had started to form and nodded. "Lead the way," she whispered.

Colby gripped her shoulder. "You're a Granger. Go. Keep to a straight line."

Jo looked at him. "What are you doing?"

"Just going to try to slow Rico up a little. The less you know, the better. Go!"

Colby had learned a lot of things over his years with the Army and the FBI. Some of them were better ways to kill people. Some of them were better ways to protect people. But none of them quite worked as well as some of the ones he had learned growing up in Idaho. Putting all of his experience behind him, he began to circle around, keeping the sound of Jo's movements in the back of his mind. He knew she would follow his orders and he hoped that Rico would keep tracking her. That the lure of fresh female game after seven years in prison would be stronger than any thoughts of revenge because that would give Colby time to set up the traps. He hated leaving his baby sister at the mercy of a stone cold bastard like Rico, but also knew she could defend herself to a certain extent. And he was doing something that might keep them safer in the long run.

As he made his way back down the mountain, he hoped Don and David had gotten news of Rico's escape, although he doubted either of those city boys would be able to track them out here. Skidding down the hill, he rolled to a stop and then took a second to reconnoiter. Apparently he hadn't made enough noise to attract attention, but he scurried away from the spot after a moment anyway. He made his way back up the mountain slightly so he was between Rico and his sister, then pulled his knife from his boot and got to work.

Twenty minutes later, he straightened from his work and surveyed it with satisfaction. "Don't _fuck_ with an Idaho boy," he whispered as he backed away from the traps he had just set. If he had done everything right, Rico would have to pass right through here and would hopefully get hung up long enough for him and Jo to get away.

As he took the most direct route back towards where Jo would hopefully be waiting, he heard two voices behind him. Swearing silently, he picked up his pace as he realized Rico wasn't alone. That had just drastically cut down thier odds of survival.

Jo was sitting with her back against a tree when he reached her, chewing on a piece of jerky. She held a piece out to him as he slid to a seat beside her. Colby took it gratefully and bit into it. "We can't rest for long," he told her quietly, knowing that a whisper would carry farther.

She raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything, waiting for Colby to explain himself. He almost wished she would start berating him again. It wasn't like her to be quiet.

"Rico's got company," he explained. "I don't know who, but I'm not really inclined to stick around and find out."

Jo nodded, swallowing the last of her jerky and tidying up the site, leaving no trace of her occupation. "Which way?" she asked in the same quiet voice Colby had been using.

Colby stood up and looked around. "Let's head back towards the lake. We need to get some rest soon, we've been moving non-stop for over eighteen hours. We're not going to be much good if we don't find somewhere to hole up."

"Burn," Jo's voice stopped Colby after he had turned away to start down the mountain. He turned back to look at her. "What are our chances? Be honest with me."

"There's two guys out that who want nothing better than to kill me and hurt you," Colby admitted. "Our chances aren't good." He stepped closer to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm going to do everything in my power to get you out of here. I'm not gonna lose you like I lost Dad, Jo-Jo. Do you trust me?"

She smiled, although it wavered around the edges. "Always have, Burn. With my life."

"Than get that ass moving," he growled.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't quote movies at me. You are _not_ going Hollywood on me, bro."

"Hey, I've been in LA for years. I can't help it if a little bit rubbed off," Colby replied as he led the way down the mountain. He had an idea where they could rest for a few hours.

* * *

David didn't turn as Don came up beside him. "So did the rangers finally bow down to your superior intellect and agree to lead us into the woods tomorrow morning?" he asked as the lead agent took a place beside him at the plate glass window.

"No," Don answered shortly. "You think he's okay?"

David sighed. "He's a tough guy. He apparently knows how to survive in the woods. I would hope he's okay." He tried to peer into the darkness, looking through the glass to see through the woods as if hoping for a sign of his friend. "He'll be fine." Both of them didn't mention that he'd also be protecting his sister, something that Colby would take very seriously.

"So I was thinking that tomorrow we'd hike down to the lake and see if we could find them," Don said after a few minutes.

"You want to hike down into the woods where a murdering psycho is tracking an FBI agent with the full intent of killing him and 'see if we can find them'?" David asked, hoping that _are you nuts?!_ was implied in what he said since he couldn't exactly say that to his boss.

Don shrugged. "Sure. Why not? Our other choice is to wait up here and hope that Colby comes out. You remember what happened the last time we didn't trust Colby? We almost lost him. I'm really not looking forward to calling Ma Granger and telling her we lost her son _and_ her daughter."

David shuddered. He still had nightmares about calling Colby's mother and telling her that Colby was in the hospital. The woman hadn't gotten hysterical or any of what he would have considered normal reactions; instead she had taken the news calmly, thanked him, and then informed him that Joanna would be there the next day. It was only after he had hung up that he had realized Joanna was Jo, Colby's sister. He was sure the woman had put a hex on him or something. "Fine. You win, but you get to call Ma Granger when we find them if they aren't in one piece. She scares me."

"If you fellas are really serious about going to look for your friends," a voice came from behind them. Don and David turned around to face the older of the two rangers they had met earlier in the day, the one who hadn't seen Colby and Jo on their way. "I'll take you in at first light."


	5. Chapter 5

Colby hadn't really slept all night, but dozed on and off; every little sound disturbing him. He hadn't expected to get much sleep, but he was glad to see Jo had slipped into a fitful slumber right away. She had done well so far, not really complaining; her rant not withstanding, and was following most of his orders without question. They had shifted during the night and she was leaning against his shoulder now, snuggled against him. He brushed a lock of hair out of her face. His one regret last year had been that he hadn't been able to tell her what was going on and that she might spend the rest of her life thinking he had betrayed what they had been raised to believe. He had never believed in second chances, but when he had gotten his; he had grabbed it with both hands and tried to forge a stronger relationship with Jo. The camping trip was supposed to be their chance to reconnect, instead his past was kicking him in the ass again.

She shifted in her sleep and he tried to sooth her, hoping she would get a few more minutes of sleep, but she blinked green eyes at him and yawned widely. "Hey," he whispered. "Rest a little longer."

She shook her head, pushing herself off his shoulder to get into a sitting position and then ran a hand through her short blond hair. Yawning again, she fussed with her hair, but it was more a reaction to waking than because she wanted it neat. He grinned, remembering her doing the same thing as a child when she came downstairs in the morning to see him sitting at the table after he had done chores. Of course then she had also had a thumb stuck in her mouth. Deciding he didn't want to be hit this early in the morning, he didn't mention it to her. "We should get moving," she responded after another yawn.

"Eat something first," he told her.

"I've had enough of Dick's jerky," Jo grumbled as she pulled a piece from her pack. She stared at the jerky for a moment. "I never thought I'd say that."

"You've had to eat it for four days running. Of course you'd be tired of it. We could probably risk going down to the lake and trying to catch some fish."

Jo made a face that he could just make out in the dim light. "I love you, Burn, but I am not eating trout sushi."

Colby smiled for a second, then sobered. The relaxation they had come into the woods to find had vanished the moment they had started running for their lives and it had been eating at him for days. It wasn't in his nature to run. He had always stood and fought; sometimes to his detriment. He had had enough of running now. He also knew that Jo was as much of a Granger as he was and was probably having as much of an issue with running as he was. As they sat there, chewing in silence, a plan started to form in Colby's mind.

As Jo started to tidy up, Colby decided to broach the subject. "How do you feel about playing bait?"

Jo's head jerked up and she stared at him. "Did you get hit in the head?" she demanded.

"No. I'm tired of running. I think we can maybe draw Rico and his partner out if we work this right."

Jo nodded after a moment. "What do you want me to do?"

Grinning at his sister, Colby reached out and hugged her tightly. "I'll keep you as safe as I can," he promised. "Now is there any chance you have your iPod on you somewhere?"

Sheepishly she reached into one of her vest pocket and pulled out her iPod with the headphones attached. "I didn't notice it was in there until we'd already started running, but I don't have the external speakers."

"That's okay, we should be able to boost the sound high enough for what I'm thinking," he said, turning it on and beginning to scroll through her playlist. After a moment, he frowned. "Don't you have anything decent on here?"

"Hey, we can't all like Travis Tritt and honky-tonk," she responded. "There's decent music on there and some of it is even country."

He paused as the title of one of the songs caught his eye. "_Let the Bodies Hit the Floor_?" he questioned.

"Hey, its a good song," Jo answered, looking up from where she was reshuffling their packs. "And it reminded me of you."

"How does a song by _Drowning Pool_ remind you of _me_?"

"Well, don't the bodies hit the floor when you bust down a door and yell 'FBI'?" she asked.

"No, they tend to run," he replied.

She shrugged. "So they hit the floor after you tackle them." Then she grinned. "Just like you used to tackle me."

"Hey, that was self-defense," he protested. Then he decided to offer an olive branch. "Dad used to listen to honky-tonk. So what kinda song is this one?"

"Heavy metal. Hard beat."

He tossed her the iPod. "Perfect. Cue it up and put it on repeat, but don't start it yet."

After a few more minutes of reshuffling since they weren't taking the packs with them, they were ready to move out. Colby tucked the packs into an alcove he had found and hoped they were far enough out of sight not to be found. "You ready?" he asked Jo.

Jo looked around the cave where they had spent a relatively safe night. "As I'll ever be. And, yes, before you ask I know the plan."

* * *

Ranger McDougle nodded at the two FBI agents as they stepped out onto the porch at first light. He had expected them to come out in their city suits, but both of them were dressed in jeans and heavy duty hiking boots with jackets over top. "You fellas armed?" he asked as he settled his hat on his head.

"Yes, but considering we're hunting a fugitive," Don started.

"Nah. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't need to give you something," the ranger replied, picking up his rifle. "So is your boy more likely to run and hide or hunt down the bastard chasing him?"

Don and David exchanged glances. "Normally I'd say he'd hunt him down," Don said, "but he's got his sister with him and he'd want to protect her at all costs."

"There's a cave they might have holed up in then. It's about a three hour hike from here if we go straight there," McDougle said.

Don nodded, pulling on an FBI hat and sticking a piece of gum in his mouth. "Let's do it."

Four hours later, Don was almost sorry he had said they should head for the cave. His legs were killing him and he had no clue where he was, although the ranger claimed they were on the right track. Apparently there were no clear trails in this part of the park because it was a real back to nature place. Don almost dropped in relief when the mouth of a cave came into sight.

"Is that it?" David asked and Don was grateful that he sounded as out of breath as Don felt.

"Yep," the ranger answered, pointing at the opening. "Not many people know it's here, but your friend did. I guess he's been up here before. Opening's too small for bears or the like so it shoulda been safe for him and his girl to hole up in."

The two agents exchanged glances, but ducked their heads and entered, flicking on flashlights.

* * *

Colby looked up at the tree they had chosen. "Still remember how to climb a tree?" he asked. "Cuz I don't think that's gonna support my weight."

Jo took the iPod from him with a glare. "Of course it's not gonna support your weight, you musclehead. That's gotta be the weakest tree in the forest. Gimme a boost. And you do realize I'm not going to be able to retrieve my iPod from here, right?"

"So I'll buy you a new one." Colby laced his fingers together and lifted her towards the lowest branch. "You know I am trying to save your life here," he commented as she scrambled up into the higher branches. "Don't go too high," he cautioned.

"Burn, shut _up_! It's been at least fifteen years since I climbed a tree," Jo hissed down. "I'm trying to concentrate." A few minutes later, she had hooked the iPod to one of the branches and gotten it set up. Slithering back to the ground, she grabbed Colby's hand. "We've got about a three minute head start," she informed him.

Clasping her hand tightly and not worrying about leaving a trail, they just ran.


	6. Chapter 6

"Well, if they were here," Don commented after a few minutes, "how are we going to know?"

David held up the shirt he had found and displayed the contents that had been wrapped in it. "I think this is a pretty good clue. It's Colby's shirt. Or at least it looks like the one he was wearing on the day he left."

"What size shoe does your agent wear?" the ranger asked from where he was squatting closer to the entrance.

"Um. Not sure," Don answered. "Why?"

"Gotta size twelve and a size six here. I'd say the six is prolly the girl. Doesn't look like she was in any kinda distress so she was prolly with your agent," McDougle replied.

"So why would they have abandoned what looks like an already stripped down pack?" Don questioned.

"Seems to me like they were going to make a stand of some sort," David said. "It must have been driving Colby nuts to be running. And if Jo is anything like him, it couldn't have been sitting well with her either."

Don went back to the entrance of the cave, looking out over the forest. "So where are they now?"

* * *

Colby pulled Jo to a stop as he heard someone crashing through the underbrush behind them. "Ready?" he asked her quietly. He was pretty sure it wasn't Rico, but they needed to get rid of one of them. Jo nodded and began to slip away. This would only work for sure if it was Rico tracking them right now since they had no idea who the other man was. He trusted that she would be careful and that he wouldn't get to far away that he couldn't protect her.

He hadn't gotten more than fifteen steps before he heard the voice. "Freeze, Mister FBI man. And put your hands up." As Colby followed directions, the man started laughing. "I've always wanted to say that to a cop. Although you aren't really a cop, are you?"

Colby faced him, his hands in the air, wondering how he could get to his gun in the back of his pants. "I'm a type of cop," he answered. "Just have a bit bigger jurisdiction. You know you haven't done anything wrong yet. You can just walk away." He tried to keep one eye on the rifle resting comfortably in the man's hands and one on the man's eyes.

The man shook his head. "Oh, no. Cuz see I've spent the last four days dragging my ass through these woods and I gotta tell you. I fucking _hate_ nature. So I'm not real inclined to be nice. I don't want to walk away." He brought the rifle down so it was pointing at Colby's leg rather than at his midsection. "I'm thinking I shoot you and I go find that pretty little girl you've been dragging around with you and I'll make Rico a very happy man. And maybe I'll get out of this fucking cesspool."

Colby could see his finger tightening on the trigger and he tensed his muscles, preparing to jump. He had seen Jo come up behind the man, but he wasn't sure if she would actually take the shot.

The shots were fired almost simultaneously, with Jo's coming just a hairsbreadth behind the man's. Colby felt something bite into his leg and then he was focused on the falling body and on Jo behind him.

* * *

Don skidded to a stop as a shot rang out, followed closely by another one. He turned to look up at David who was a few steps behind him and then down at Ranger McDougle. "Which direction?" he barked.

McDougle considered for a minute, then pointed to the northwest of their position. "That way. One was a rifle. The other sounded smaller caliber."

The two FBI agents exchanged glances. "Colby took his service weapon," David pointed out. "And Jo admitted to having a gun in her pack, but I don't know what type. I'd assume something small caliber."

"That bitty thing that went out with the agent? She probably can't handle more than a twenty-two," the ranger put in.

"I wouldn't count on that," David said. "She _is_ a _Granger_."

Don bit back a laugh at the comment. "Whichever. I think our best bet is to head for the shots."

McDougle nodded. "This way." Turning he began to break the trail in the direction they needed.

* * *

Jo was shaking when Colby got to her and he wasted a few precious moments gathering her in his arms and hugging her tightly. "It's okay. It's okay," he soothed her. "You did a good job. You did the right thing."

"I never... I never... I've never shot anyone. Before," she said.

"I know, Jo. I know you haven't." He hated to do this to her, but he would if he had to. "But we don't have time for you to fall apart now. We aren't safe yet. I need you to give me the gun, okay?" He tried to ease the gun out of her hands, but her fingers were locked tight on it. "Jo Bethy, honey," he said, resorting to her childhood nickname. "I need you to give me the gun." He remembered that she had reacted similarly the first time he had taken her hunting and that she had never gone again. That time it had taken him twenty minutes to pry the gun out of her fingers, but he didn't have the time to waste now.

Jo clutched him with her free hand, then looked down at him. "Burn, you're bleeding!" she exclaimed.

Colby glanced down at his leg. "Yeah. He nicked me. It's fine. Come on. We gotta move. Rico had to have heard those shots."

Jo nodded and visibly pulled herself together. A moment later, she was tucking her gun into her waistband and he had to grin as he realized she used the exact same spot he did. Leaning down, she pulled his knife from his boot. "Untuck your shirt," she ordered.

"Excuse me?"

"If we take off now, you're going to leave a trail a mile wide. Untuck your shirt so I can use some of it for bandages," she explained. "It's not like we have anything else."

Shaking his head at her flip from breaking down to practicality, he did as she directed. Then he watched, almost in amusement, as she cut a three inch wide swath from the bottom of his shirt. "You're lucky this isn't my favorite shirt," he commented.

"I'd do it anyway," she answered as she knelt down in front of him and used the knife to widen the hole in the jeans. She bit her lip at the sight of his leg. "It doesn't look like the bullet did anything other than graze you," she commented, "but it got pretty deep. This is gonna hurt."

"Just do it, Jo."

Jo rolled her eyes as she placed the material around his leg. "Now he quotes Nike commercials at me. Burn, bro, you need to come home." On her last word, she pulled the material as tight as she could, causing him to bite his tongue rather than cry out.

"Damn, Jo," he said through gritted teeth.

"Well, it's not like I had a choice," she responded. "Not the best of material for this." Standing up, she looked at him. "You okay?"

He nodded, leaning back against the tree for a moment to catch his breath. "I'll live."

"So what next?" she asked. He hobbled over to where the man lay face down, but didn't turn him over. Reaching down, he felt at the man's neck. After a moment, he straightened back up. When he turned back to face Jo, he knew he didn't have to tell her. "He's dead, isn't he?" she questioned.

"Yeah. It was a good shoot, Jo."

"Doesn't matter. I still killed a man."

"I know it won't make you feel any better, but he planned to shoot me and take you to Rico," Colby answered.

"And now he doesn't have to." The voice came from behind them and Colby automatically swung to put himself between Jo and the man. "Isn't that sweet? Still the noble fighter, Granger? So who is she this time? A new girlfriend? Another old friend?" Rico paused to look more closer at Jo. "Or maybe someone a little closer to your heart?"

Jo clutched at Colby's shoulder. "Burn, what is he talking about?"

Colby tensed under her touch, but more because it was going to prevent him from moving quickly than because he didn't want her touching him. Rico hadn't changed much since Colby had put him away. He was a bit more muscular, but the dark hair and swarthy looks hadn't changed at all. He was wearing a combination that Colby recognized; dark blue jeans over a stolen flannel shirt. "When I arrested him last time, he had just raped and released an old friend of mine from Quantico. She was actually instrumental in his capture. Right after his trial, she committed suicide because she couldn't live with the shame of what he had done to her. He doesn't just rape girls, he mutilates them, too."

"Now. Now. Why would you want to scare the girl?" Rico said. He took a step towards them and Colby backed them up a little. "So who is she, Granger?" He shifted the rifle so it was covering both of them. "Who are you, my little girl?"

"I'm _not_ a little girl," Jo spat. "And I'm definitely not _yours_."

"Ooo, feisty. I _like_ her. Did you bring her out here just for me?" Rico grinned. "I'll make you a deal, Granger. Put the guns down. Including the one your friend has and you fight me. If you can best me, I'll go quietly back to jail and leave the little girl alone."

Colby wanted to take the deal, but he didn't trust Rico farther than he could throw him. He shifted his weight, trying to make his decision when he heard some noise in the underbrush. He could tell from Rico's reaction that the other man didn't hear whatever it was. Hoping that it wasn't more reinforcements for Rico, he nodded. "Okay, you have a deal. On the count of three, we'll both set our guns down. And she's not armed. She had my gun when your friend attacked me."

"On three then," Rico agreed. "One. Two."

Colby reached behind him, grasping the butt of his gun. "Three," he finished the count as they both placed their guns on the ground. "Don't touch it," he cautioned Jo, waiting for her nod in response. He knew she would use her gun if she saw an opening or at least he hoped she would.

He was just straightening up when Rico hit him like a freight train. As they tumbled down the rise, he remembered why he hated fighting on uneven terrain. He struggled to get the upper hand, grappling with Rico as they rolled down the mountain. As they slammed up against a tree, he bit back a yelp as Rico hit him in the leg. With a grunt, Colby threw the other man off of him, then dived on top before Rico could get to his feet.

Drawing back, Colby pummeled him in the face; hitting him again and again. Rico bucked him off and scurried away, wiping the blood from his face. Colby sat back, heaving; trying to catch his breath. He had just barely caught it when Rico came at him again and Colby ducked, using the convict's momentum to toss him over his shoulder. He hit a tree with a sickening thud and lay there for a few minutes, long enough for Don and David to appear; Jo and the ranger on their heels.

"You okay, Colby?" Don asked as he slid the last few feet down to the younger agent.

Colby nodded, wincing as Jo slid into him and wrapped her arms around him. "Yeah. I'll live. Someone got a set of cuffs?"

David pulled his off his belt and held them out to Colby. "Here, man."

Colby knelt down next to Rico and slapped the cuffs on him, then rolled him over so he wouldn't suffocate. With a sigh, he sat down not far from the cuffed man. "There's a body up there. Somewhere." He waved vaguely towards the area they had been in. "There's a bullet from a .38 in it. Is there an easier way back down from here?"

"Yep, there is. Tired of walking around in the woods?" McDougle said.

"No. I'd just really like to get this bullet out of my thigh," Colby responded.

Jo reached down and slapped him on the shoulder. "_Burn_! I thought it was just a graze," she said.

"Yeah, well, I was hoping you wouldn't notice," Colby told her.

"Can we get some EMTs up here?" Don asked the ranger.

"It would be easier if we just walked him down, if he thinks he can make it. The only ones really equipped to come up here are Search and Rescue and I'd rather not call them out for this," McDougle answered.

Colby levered himself to his feet, using Jo as a crutch. "I can walk."

* * *

Five hours later, he was sorry he had played the tough guy. The ranger had run ahead, promising to double back once he had alerted the authorities. Colby had started out strong, but after an hour had finally agreed to lean on Jo's shoulder as they stumbled along. Don and David took turns pushing Rico along the trail and making sure he didn't fall into the bushes because none of them wanted him to cry police brutality. The hike that had taken him and Jo two and a half hours in took them five hours back out and by the time they reached the ranger station, he was sure his wound was open and bleeding again. Jo dumped him against the steps and stood glaring at him with her hands on her hips. "Are you done being the tough guy?" she demanded.

"Okay so maybe I couldn't walk," he admitted, "but we're out now."

"I should kick your ass for that," she told him.

"You could try," he retorted, then laughed. "And I'd like to see you _try_ sometime."

She pushed against his shoulder. "You don't have to protect me anymore, Burn. I'm not a little kid."

"Hey, you'll always be my kid sister. And I'll _always_ try to protect you." He sobered, looking up at her. "I'm sorry I failed this time."

"Oh, Burn." Jo sat down beside him and wiggled underneath his arm so he was holding her. "You didn't fail. You kept me safe or maybe I should say we kept each other safe." She looked up as an ambulance pulled into the lot. "I'm going to get you help."

Colby watched her walk away and thought about what she had said. He still felt he had failed in some way, but he had to admit she had a point. They had been a team in this. He had forgotten what it was like to be _Team Granger_, it had been too many years since they had worked together. His new team had replaced and become his family in some ways, but he didn't want to lose his connection with Jo. Sitting there, waiting for the EMTs, he made the decision that he was going to make more overtures towards her. He was going to make time to call her and see her more often.

He looked up as the EMTs knelt down beside him. "Looks like you've been in a fight, Agent," one commented as the other began to open his kit.

"A fight _and_ he got shot," Jo put in from where she stood behind him.

"Nothing like tattling on me. Just like you used to do to Ma," Colby said.

The first EMT grinned and jerked a thumb at Jo. "Little sister?" he asked and when Colby nodded. "I figured. I've got three of them at home." He turned and looked up at Jo. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'm a dispatcher at the sheriff's department in the town we grew up in," she answered. "Why?"

"Just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to get directions on how to treat him," the EMT answered. "You gonna let us do our jobs?"

"Yeah." She turned as Don yelled her name. Leaning over, she kissed the side of Colby's head. "Be nice to the EMTs. No swearing." With a little wave, she practically skipped over to where Don was delivering Rico into custody.

The EMT raised his eyebrows as he turned his attention to Colby's leg. Undoing the makeshift bandage that Jo had applied, he peeled back the jeans. "Is she always like that?"

"Yeah. She's a good kid. She grew up when I wasn't looking," Colby answered as he watched her interact with Don and David. She was grinning at something David had just said to her and nodding, apparently agreeing to something.

"They do that." The EMT got to his feet. "Okay. We're gonna get you on a stretcher and get you out of here. You still have a bullet in that leg and we need to get you to a hospital."

Colby nodded, deciding not to argue. Maybe Jo would ride with him and they could talk after he had surgery. He groaned as he realized he would be laid up for a while because of this.

A few minutes later, the two men were back with the stretcher and he winced as they loaded him onto it. He was sure he hadn't made a sound, but something attracted Jo's attention and she pulled away from the mass of agents that had turned up and ran over to him. "Where's he going?" she demanded.

"To the hospital," the EMT answered. "He's going to need surgery to get that bullet out."

She nodded, squeezing his hand. "Hey, Burn, maybe we can sit down and talk about Daddy before I got back to Winchester?" she asked.

Colby smiled. "Yeah. I'd like that." He winced as they loaded him into the ambulance. "You coming with me?"

Don came up behind her. "We'll bring her back down, Colby. The rangers are going to help us locate that body and your packs. We could use Jo's help unless she'd rather not work with the FBI."

Colby grinned at the reminder that his sister didn't have fond memories of his team. "I think she'll behave." When Jo nodded, he motioned that he was ready to go. As the EMTs started to shut the doors, he called, "Hey, Don?" Don turned back around from where he was beginning to co-ordinate with the rangers. "I want a vacation from my vacation!"


End file.
